


every world and every lifetime

by NalgeneWhore



Series: Elorcan One Shots [85]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, I Love You, Light Angst, basically they r cuties n i am obsessed with them <3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28743231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NalgeneWhore/pseuds/NalgeneWhore
Relationships: Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn, Cal Lochan/Lady Marion Lochan, Elide Lochan/Lorcan Salvaterre, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Elorcan One Shots [85]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636468
Kudos: 29





	every world and every lifetime

Elide looked around her parent’s house, miserably pushing her food around. 

She wasn’t hungry. 

Her eyes stung with tears as she saw her parents, Marion perched on the arm of Cal’s chair. Her mother’s arm was around her father’s shoulders and she fussed with his hair, smiling and speaking quietly to him. 

Suddenly, all too quickly, her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. Elide bit the inside of her cheek and sniffed, her vision blurring. 

It was so stupid. She was being such a coward. He was her  _ boyfriend _ . She’d never cared about another person quite like she cared about Lorcan. She should’ve invited him to her mother’s birthday party. 

The cushion shifted when someone sat down beside her. Elide hastily blinked her tears away and looked up, smiling shakily at her father. “Hey, dad.” 

“Hey, kid,” Cal said, his kind eyes crinkling. He passed her a plate of miniature desserts, a collection of her favourites. “Saved ya some, gotta get it before these rabid animals.” 

Elide snorted and took the plate, choosing the brownie. She ate quietly, knowing what her father would ask her. 

“So, uh, where’s this boy of yours, hmm? Your ma was really lookin’ forward to meet him,” Cal said, watching his daughter. 

She mumbled something and put her plate down, toying with a rip in her nylons. Elide looked at her short nails, painted black and meticulously cared for. “I... I’m having some doubts about it an’... I didn’t want to invite him to this close family thing in case he says something like... I dunno, ‘I love you’.” 

He raised a brow, “And would that be so terrible? If this boy loved you?” 

“No,” she whispered. Elide looked up, her eyes red rimmed and watery, “I don’t think so.” 

Cal sighed as he stood up, his knees creaking. “Well, stop being a coward and call him, kid.” 

Elide huffed at him calling her a coward, but knew it was true. 

She stood up too and walked up to her bedroom. Elide slid her phone out of her zip-up sweater pocket and toyed with it. 

Entering her room, she perched herself on the edge of her bed and pressed on his number. 

The phone dialled and her throat tightened. 

_ “Hello.”  _

“Lor, is that you? It’s... it’s me.”

_ “I know, Lee,” _ he laughed. It sounded like he was shifting from his bed and he groaned as he stretched, presumably,  _ “What’s up, though? You said you were busy tonight.” _

Elide glanced around as she steeled her nerves. “Are you- are you doing anything tonight? ‘Cause... it’s my parent’s- they have this- and it’s my mom’s birthday and we’re having this… party, so I wanted to invite you if you want to come tonight?” 

Lorcan paused,  _ “Oh, yeah, that.”  _

“What do you mean? Did you-“ her cheeks blushed furiously in self-loathing. “You know about it?” 

_ “Yeah, Rowan mentioned Aelin inviting him. I was... I don’t know, I guess I thought you’d invite me, but we haven’t even been dating that long.” _ His laugh was choked and unclear. _ “Don’t worry ‘bout it, princess.”  _

“Wa-wait, I want to worry about it, I want- I want you here,” Elide stammered. “Please, come?”

For a moment, a long long long moment, Lorcan didn’t say a word. Elide swallowed, her stomach dropping. _ “I’ll come, El. Is there a dress code or whatever?”  _

She grinned, “Nope, they’re pretty chill. But, maybe... more grunge than anarchy, yeah?” 

He chuckled,  _ “Yes, ma’am.”  _

“Good,” Elide whispered. “I’ll- we can talk, ok? Promise.” 

_ “Pinky promise?”  _

She blushed, “Mm-hmm. Pinky promise.” 

They said their soft, stupidly in-denial-in-love good-byes and Elide hung up. The moment the call was over, her anxieties crept back in. 

Elide walked downstairs in a daze and stood by the table, her eyes nervously flicked between the door and the room. 

Aelin noticed her practically shaking and she snuck on over, “Hey, hon.” She tweaked something about Elide’s hair and smiled, “How’re you doing? You’ve been so quiet tonight.” 

“Oh, I- I’m fine,” Elide nodded, her voice teary. “I just-“ she sighed and collected herself. “I didn’t invite Lor ‘cause I didn’t want him to think it was too fast or too serious and then my dad called me a coward so I called him an’ now I’m just... I’m thinking I fucked up and maybe I’m ruining this? Like,” Elide swallowed, shaking her head, and laughed half-mad, “maybe he’s only coming to say that I fucked up too bad and he’s breaking up with me.” 

Aelin gave Elide a look and sighed, “Hon, you know I don’t like him, but I’ve never seen you two so happy. If -  _ if  _ Lorcan was going to break up with you, it wouldn’t be about this. Something would have to have been really, really fucked up for him to leave.” 

Elide huffed a laugh, “Ok… you’re probably right.” 

The blonde smirked, “I’m always right. Now, I’ve got to find Rowan. I’ll see you later?” 

She nodded, waving her friend off, “Yes, yes, go find your boyfriend.” 

Turning, Aelin called over her shoulder, “And good luck with yours.” She disappeared into the crowd, easily seeking her boyfriend, whose head was far above everyone else’s. Elide watched for a moment. Rowan turned when Aelin tapped his shoulder and smiled, leaning down to kiss her cheek. They looked so… happy with each other. 

They looked how Elide felt around Lorcan. Like how nothing else mattered and how she would damn the world for him. Elide walked into the kitchen, where the kitchen staff were busy cooking and prepping. She stayed out of their way and offered the few that noticed her a small grin. Elide pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge and quickly exited. The stash was her dad’s, but they both knew he stocked it for her to take on the rare occasions Elide even felt like drinking.

She looked around the party and cringed. There was no one here that she wanted to talk to. Through the large front window, Elide could see that the front porch was empty. That was probably because it was still relatively cold, but Elide would rather sit out in the chill than talk to any of her parents’ guests. Elide somehow managed to escape unscathed and sat on the porch steps, hidden from anyone’s casual glance. 

Elide twisted the top off and took a long sip of the cool drink. Her knee bounced uncontrollably, and she didn’t try to stop it. She looked up and down the street, waiting for his crappy little car. 

As she waited, Elide nervously picked at the bottle’s label with her thumb. She shivered, but didn’t care enough to move inside. 

Elide breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, deciding to list the things she knew. 

One: Elide had never been as happy as she was with Lorcan. 

Two: Elide wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. 

Three: Elide loved Lorcan. 

Four: If she had really ruined this, Elide would never forgive herself. 

A black, 1995 Honda Civic parked across the street. Her throat ached with tears and her eyes stung once more. Elide’s breath trembled as a tall, lanky man stepped out of the car. His dark hair was half shoved up in a messy bun, the rest tumbling down his back. 

Lorcan looked up at her and nodded, his face impassive. Her heart clenched, even though she knew that he hardly ever smiled. He crossed the street without looking, putting his keys into the pocket of his lined flannel jacket. His coat was worn and the cuffs frayed. Elide liked to steal it and wear it. It was warm and smelled like him - cedar and sweetgrass. 

She stood up, leaving her half empty beer on the step. “Hey, you,” Elide said, trying to pass for casual. 

Lorcan walked up the stairs and stopped a few below her, still taller than her. His dark, hooded eyes sparkled with something and the corner of his lips quirked up, “Hey.” He lifted his hand, curling a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You–” 

“We-ell, lookie what we have here,” said a new voice. Annoyed, the couple turned, their brows lowered. When they saw Elide’s drunken uncle, Vernon, Elide shifted closer to Lorcan and curled her arm around his shoulder. “Oh, and you m-must b-be-” Vernon hiccuped, his eyes unfocused, “ _ Lorcan _ . You know,” he began, stumbling closer to Elide. 

She flinched and Lorcan slid his hand across her lower back, fitting it around her hip. “Hello, uncle. Are you enjoying the party?” 

“Yes, yes,” Vernon slurred, waving his drink around and sloshing it over the rim of the glass. “I’ve been asked to leave. Apparently,” he chuckled humorlessly, “I was not invited! How ‘bout that, hmmmm?” 

Elide attempted a fake laugh, hoping he wouldn’t be able to tell. “That’s- that’s a shame, uncle. We’ll have to see you another time, then.” She looked at Lorcan, her eyes worried, “This is Lorcan, uncle. We’ve been… seeing each other for a couple months.” 

Vernon nodded dodgedly and addressed Lorcan, “Th-this one’s a handful, hmm? Never could listen to the simplest of commands, even as a child, could you?” He reached out to do something, maybe even pinch her cheek, but Lorcan moved her, lifting her onto the step he stood on. The heavily inebriated man didn’t notice the quick shift, nor did he notice the relief on Elide’s face as she did not dare look anywhere else except for him. “I didn’t- I didn’t think you were even gonna come, ya know.” 

Elide’s cheeks heated and she looked down at her feet. Lorcan’s hand squeezed reassuringly around her hip, “I was busy until now.” He moved to the side, leaving a path for Vernon, “It was nice,” Lorcan paused purposefully and looked Vernon up and down with disdain, “to meet you. Have a nice night.” 

The man staggered down the stairs and out of the front yard. Elide stayed where she was until he had disappeared down the street corner. When he had, she disentangled herself from Lorcan’s arms and stood in front of him, looking up at his face. 

He looked back at her, nothing, not a hint of emotion on his features. Elide took his hand and walked him to the swinging bench. They sat, his feet against the floor and Elide’s legs tucked beneath her. 

She let go of his hand, though Lorcan kept it on her thigh, and looked down at her lap, “So. Hi. I missed you.” 

Lorcan grinned softly and kissed the curve of her cheek, “I missed you too, Lee.” 

Elide smiled a small, constrained smile. “I’m really happy that you’re here and I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t ask you to come earlier. I- I thought- I was being a coward ‘cause I thought this was moving too fast and I was scared and I don’t care anymore and,” she forced herself to meet his eye, quiet joy shining there. “I love you.” 

Before Lorcan could say anything, before he could reject her, Elide stood up and hastily dragged her hand through her hair, “That’s all I wanted to say, so if you have any plans tonight, you can go.”

She squeaked slightly when Lorcan sharply tugged her back, making her land with her legs across his lap, “What–” 

“Princess, shut your yappy ass for  _ once _ , would you,” he said, laughing quietly. Elide frowned at his words, but remained quiet, her eyes expectant. Lorcan’s hand rested on the crook of her neck and his thumb stroked over her jumping pulse. “I love you too.” 

Those words, those beautiful words, settled around her heart and Elide let her grin grow widely. She leaned in and kissed him softly, lifting her hands to cup his face once more. They kissed for a short while, his other hand gripping the side of her leg. 

She pulled away first and rested her forehead against his, her eyes still closed. “Do… do you want to meet my parents?” 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Lorcan joked, his tone teasing, “I think this is moving too fast for me, babe.” 

Elide rolled her eyes and got to her feet, holding her hand out to him. “Come on, dummy.” 

He grinned and accepted her hand. Lorcan slung his arm across her shoulders and kissed the side of her head as she led them into her parent’s house. Lorcan toed off his untied, beat-up and retro Jordans, and hung up his jacket. 

After, she walked them into the living room, their fingers laced together. She held onto his arm with her other hand and leaned her head against his bicep. 

Rowan and Aelin noticed them first and made their way over to the pair. Lorcan and Rowan did their secret handshake and chatted quietly as Elide nervously looked around for her parents. The two boys and Aelin chuckled at her obvious absence.

She didn’t notice it and when she saw her parents, Elide walked, hardly glancing back to see if he was coming. 

Lorcan laughed under his breath, “We’ll see you two later, I guess.” Aelin and Rowan waved them off goodnaturedly. 

Her mother noticed them first. Lorcan was almost taken aback at the similarities between Elide and her mother. They looked like twins, except that Marion’s face was matured elegantly, her eyes slightly more narrow than her daughter’s. “Hello, you two,” Marion said, patting her husband’s shoulder, “Callan, dear, look who it is.” 

Cal turned and smiled at his daughter, his brows raising slightly when he looked up at Lorcan. Her father was a relatively tall man at six-foot-four, but the difference was still quite significant. 

Without thinking, Lorcan turned to his girl and said, “How are you so tiny? Your dad’s tall, man.” Elide gasped in offence and pinched the underside of his arm, hard. Lorcan yelped, “Ok, ok, ok, Creator above, I’m  _ sorry _ .”

She smirked smugly and turned back to her parents, who watched the scene in amusement, “Please ignore him, he thinks he’s funny. This is Lorcan, my boyfriend.” 

Marion and Cal arched their brows, laughing quietly. Lorcan reached his hand out to her mother, who accepted it and shook his hand, “It’s nice to meet you and happy birthday, Mrs. Lochan.”

“Oh, please, call me Marion. Mrs. Lochan is my mother-in-law,” Marion said. 

Lorcan chuckled and nodded his head, “Of course, Marion.” 

Elide looked up at him the entire time, knowing that her smile was smitten and ridiculous and not caring at all. As her father spoke with Lorcan, Elide looked at her mother and talked in Blackbeak, too quiet for either of the men to hear,  _ “You’ll tell dad to not threaten him with gross bodily harm or death, right?” _

Marion laughed, the sound tinkling and bright,  _ “Your father knows we Blackbeak women can fend for ourselves. Besides, I think he’s half in love already.” _

Elide rolled her eyes and looked at her boyfriend and father, their postures relaxed and faces happy. She snorted and hid the sound behind her hand, though Lorcan still heard it and turned to her. “Are you good?” 

“Mm-hmm,” Elide hummed. “Do you want some food? I haven’t eaten yet.” 

He nodded, “Yeah, ‘course.” 

They said their farewells to her parents and wandered off. 

“That went well, right?” Lorcan asked her quietly, his words… nervous. Elide hadn’t ever seen him  _ nervous _ . 

“Yeah, it did,” she said. They passed by an alcove, and Elide pulled him in. It was a small bay window with a cushioned seat. 

She sat and pulled him down too, her knee against his thigh when she folded her leg up. Elide mindlessly fixed his hair, though it didn’t need fixing. “But, you know, even if it hadn’t gone well, I would still love you.” 

Lorcan smiled and gently kissed her, not caring that anyone could walk by and see them. “Really? What would make you stop loving me?” 

Elide hummed and thought for a moment. She pressed her lips to his again and murmured, “I think our story is a fated one, you know?” Her long lashes fluttered against his cheeks when her eyes fell shut, “I think I would fall for you in every world and every lifetime.” 

“Yeah,” Lorcan whispered. They drew back at the same time and pressed their brows together. He thumbed something from her cheek, “I think that too.” 


End file.
